Ron Jirsa’s teaching journey started greater than 4 a long time in the past at Connecticut Faculty. He served as head coach at Marshall and Georgia however has spent most of his profession as an assistant coach.
He joined Jap Kentucky this offseason to serve on the workers of former participant A.W. Hamilton, who performed for him at Marshall within the mid-2000s. Jirsa supplied Hamilton his first teaching job as graduate assistant with the Thundering Herd.
As the 2 went by way of quite a few stops between then and now, they remained in connection, which helped result in this reunion.
These relationships have performed a serious half in Jirsa’s profession, as he mentioned in his current interview with Mid-Main Insanity’ Ian Sacks. Beneath is their dialog:
Ian Sacks: What stands out most about your journey to get you to the purpose the place you’re proper now – assistant coach at Jap Kentucky and a 40-plus-year profession?
Ron Jirsa: What stands out probably the most about my profession is that I’ve gotten an opportunity to work with nice coaches. The longer you final in faculty basketball, particularly in my profession, the extra I’ve been capable of work with and for some actually nice coaches, they usually’re mates of mine now.
They’ve afforded me the coaching I wanted once I was youthful. I labored with some nice coaches that taught me what’s vital to do as an assistant coach. I’ve been capable of assist some coaches have large success.
And so, it will get me up to now the place [EKU Head Coach A.W. Hamilton] was a former participant once I coached at Marshall, and I adopted his profession. He’s carried out extraordinarily nicely. He’s one other certainly one of these nice coaches that I’m now capable of work with.
That’s what stands out to me in my profession – that I’ve been lucky sufficient to have been on the workers of some actually prime males within the teaching enterprise.
IS: That leads proper into certainly one of my subsequent questions: was it form of a full-circle second for you coming onto the workers for A.W. when he starred for you at Marshall, and also you gave him his begin as a coach when he grew to become a grad assistant?
RJ: Completely. We’ve a particular relationship. We’ve a coach-player relationship.
I’ve at all times appreciated his capacity to speak. He has stayed in contact with me, and I’ve at all times appreciated that. Now with the ability to work with him, it’s actually particular. I don’t assume many coaches may get the sort of alternative.
He has carried out extraordinarily nicely. And so now I be part of the workers of a program at Jap Kentucky that gained a championship final 12 months, that has set many data from attendance to wins. That is all a credit score to A.W.
So now I’m right here, and I consider I will help. Whenever you get an opportunity to affix a program that’s at a excessive stage, it’s actually particular for an assistant coach.
IS: What else, apart from the chance to teach with A.W. introduced you to Jap Kentucky?
RJ: Teaching takes you to some distinctive locations. I’ve lived throughout the nation. I’ve coached in a variety of arenas, and like I mentioned earlier than, with a variety of nice individuals.
To me, it’s primarily this faculty, the success they’ve had at this faculty and dealing with A.W. that introduced me right here.
Now that I’m right here, I get to study what’s simply so good about this a part of the nation. And there’s a variety of nice issues. So, I’m excited to be right here and expertise a brand new place.
IS: I consider 16 stops in your profession all the way in which again beginning at Connecticut Faculty – not too removed from the place you grew up – after which Delaware, VCU, Tulsa, Belmont Abbey, Gardner-Webb, Georgia, Dayton, Marshall, Minnesota, Bethel, Tennessee Tech, Radford, UNC Greensboro, River Falls Excessive College and now EKU. What was certainly one of your favourite stops or one cease that stands out and why?
RJ: Once we win a championship, it makes it a lot extra particular.
Working with Tubby Smith and going to the Candy 16 thrice in a row, that’s simply an superior time in my teaching profession. Working with Oliver Purnell at Dayton and seeing the Dayton expertise on sport evening and profitable the A-10 Match.
Working with Mike Jones by way of COVID was a troublesome time, however we grew to become a championship program. And so, the championships are so particular. They’re so uncommon. They’re so laborious. It’s tough to win a championship. So, these are the excessive factors.
After which teaching is an actual enterprise. There are ups and downs, and going by way of adversity at totally different locations has bonded some actually nice relationships. I may actually speak for fairly some time about simply the many individuals which have made this particular.
Dennis Wolff was my first mentor at Connecticut Faculty. Driving within the automotive to video games in Maine. He gave me a chance on the very starting, and we’ve been mates now for 40 years.
So, there’s many, many occasions I may speak about, and I might like to record all of the coaches as a result of all of them have meant one thing to me. Now being right here with A.W., it’s actually been an important journey.
IS: You talked about Tubby Smith, a nationwide championship profitable coach. What sort of impression has he had in your profession?
RJ: He’s actually one of many best faculty basketball coaches there was. His enthusiasm for the sport, his timeless spirit. We’re nice mates, and one of many causes is that we labored so laborious collectively.
I can bear in mind driving within the automotive with him once we first began at Tulsa. He was an assistant at Kentucky and bought the job, and I joined him at Tulsa. Simply driving within the automotive on a recruiting journey, and he checked out me and mentioned, ‘Are you able to consider this? That is the perfect factor ever. We’re getting paid to do that.’ He’s only a nice pal.
IS: Wow, that’s an superior story. The panorama of school basketball is altering at lightning velocity the final couple of years, however I’m certain it’s modified an entire bunch over your profession. Out of your perspective, how has the panorama modified?
RJ: The panorama is altering continuously. I’ve a variety of expertise, however I’m without end studying. Studying about utilizing the pc for scouting. It’s modified, however it actually it hasn’t modified. The sport hasn’t modified a lot in any respect. The issues which can be nonetheless vital in basketball are nonetheless vital. However with recruiting altering and issues like that, it’s made it essential to remain present.
I’m pleased with with the ability to keep present. Like I discussed, the pc – working with a pc, having a Twitter account – all this stuff which can be so very important to at present’s communication with recruits and people that basically matter. It has modified, however on the finish of the day, the sport hasn’t modified actually, in any respect.
IS: That’s a good way to take a look at it: on the finish of the day, basketball continues to be basketball, irrespective of how all the pieces round it’d look so totally different. What are some classes that you just attempt to instill in your gamers?
RJ: The primary aim for lots of coaches and for our program is to develop a player-led program. A.W. actually emphasizes that this can be a player-led program right here at Jap Kentucky.
And so how do you go about doing that?
It’s laborious. It’s tougher for gamers to be leaders and to know tips on how to use your voice, what it takes to return to apply and work laborious each day, how that’s going to repay in the long term.
So, these are the issues that I believe are actually very important. When you’ve got a player-led program, how can we go about doing that?
Coach has established a player-led program right here. We’ve an excellent chief in Devontae Blanton, however being a frontrunner is just not straightforward. It takes being that man day in and time out whether or not you’re feeling prefer it or not.
These are a few of the issues that we’re actually engaged on probably the most. After which the basketball fundamentals are vital, however no more vital than that.
IS: It’s an important level that the off-the-court traits are so very important. Coach, you’ve given me a lot at present. We’ve touched on a variety of totally different matters. Anything you would consider?
RJ: I respect you. All of us which can be on the mid-major stage respect the popularity.
I believe there’s a variety of nice coaches on the market working laborious, particularly this time of 12 months. September might be the hardest month in faculty basketball for lots of us recruiting and training the group and getting in form and all that overlap.
So, I simply respect what you’re doing there at Mid-Main Insanity.
IS: I respect you, Coach. What we do wouldn’t be potential with out the likes of you, the coaches and the gamers.
